It's Natural To Be Afraid
by LAWLMOFO
Summary: AU SuzaLulu. Suzaku is a police officer who, along with his partner Gino, are sent to investigate a woman's murder. They soon come across a suspect by the name of Lelouch Lamperouge, a man with a past that has apparently caught up with him.
1. Un

A/N: Hey, first Code Geass fic here, hope you like it! I love this series. Title is a song by Explosions in the Sky, listen to them! They're amazing.

Title: It's Natural To Be Afraid

Pairing(s): Suzaku/Lelouch, Suzaku/Kallen

Warnings: Male/Male love, some violence, possibly lemon later on, coarse language, but come on, does that stuff really stop any of us?

Summary: Suzaku Kururugi and his partner, Gino Weinberg, are police officers sent to invastigate a young woman's murder. They soon suspect a man by the name of Lelouch Lamperouge, a surgeon with a past that has apparently caught up with him. Will Suzaku opt to help Lelouch, or will his feelings get in the way of everything? And what of his long term girlfriend Kallen?

Here you go.

* * *

"Ugh, I wasn't expecting this much blood." Suzaku Kururugi brought a hand up to cover his nose and mouth as he entered the apartment. When he first started this job the stench of blood had been nearly unbearable, but over time he was getting used to it. He didn't know whether to be thankful or concerned.

"That doesn't change the fact that we have a job to do, so the quicker you get over it the better." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of his partner, Gino Weinberg, walking through the doorway. He grinned in response, brushing past Suzaku to get a clear view of their crime scene. Suzaku looked down as well.

A young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, lay naked in a pool of thick red blood. She was lying on her back, staring directly at the ceiling with an expression of terror etched on her face. A thin line of blood ran from the corner of her mouth down into her hair. Cause of death was fairly obvious.

"Single gun shot wound to the chest," Suzaku said, kneeling down to get a closer look. He brushed his gloved hand over a patch of stained carpet then turned it palm up to check if there was any residue. Nothing. "The blood is dry, or at least most of it. She's probably been here a while." He looked at her face and sighed. "Does she live here?"

"Nope. Only resident is a man named Lelouch Lamperouge."

"Girlfriend, maybe?"

"It's possible. I'll take a picture and see if anyone recognizes her. CSI should be here in about five minutes to examine the evidence."

"Okay. I'll take a look around the apartment." Gino nodded, took a camera out of his bag, snapped a photo and left. Suzaku stared at the empty doorway for a moment before standing up. He glanced around. At the moment, he was in the middle of the living room. The carpet was a soft cream color and the walls, which adorned several framed black and white photographs of various scenes of nature, were painted a pastel shade of green. A black leather couch was positioned against the wall opposite him, a matching chair to his left. A large bay window reflected the room, as the lights were on inside and the sky had long since faded to black. Aside from the body in its center, Suzaku thought that the room was quite appealing. Clean, also.

Suzaku walked from the living room into the kitchen. It wasn't cramped, but he certainly wouldn't describe it as spacious. It was painted the same color as the living room, with dark brown cabinets lining the walls and a corresponding table set in the center. A silver refrigerator was placed against the far wall. Again, he noticed nothing of significance. He left the kitchen and continued down a narrow hallway. A bathroom appeared to his left, and a few feet further the hallway ended in a closed wooden door. Suzaku turned the knob and entered. His eyes widened.

Behind the door was the bedroom, or at least what Suzaku assumed to be the bedroom. Papers were strewn upon the floor. The sheets had been stripped from the bed and lay in a pile at its foot. A small desk had been overturned and the shelves violently ripped out, their contents spread all over the room. Suzaku spotted a red stain on the mattress and began to walk towards the bed to investigate, but stopped short when he heard glass crunch beneath his foot. He looked down at the floor and saw a photograph lying in a broken frame. He bent over to pick it up, careful not to cut his hands on the shards of glass that encased it, and brought it up to his face.

In the photo were two children, a boy and a girl. The girl, Suzaku noted, was seated in a small wheelchair. Her light brown hair fell in gentle curls, framing her face, which wore an expression of serenity and joy. One hand was placed delicately on her lap and the other was held into the air, fingers laced with those of the little boy. The boy was somewhat of a contrast to the girl, as his features were sharp compared to the softness of hers. His hair was jet black and his skin was pale. His eyes, which were a very bright violet, really quite unusual, were focused on the girl and his lips were fashioned into a small smile. It was obvious that the two loved each other very much and after a few moments Suzaku found himself smiling. He folded the picture and placed it in his pocket, due to the fact that it was about the only item in the apartment that gave the tenant some type of identity.

He began towards the bed again, this time alert of where he was placing his feet. When he reached it, he examined the red stain in the middle of the mattress. It was about the size of his hand and he was certain it was blood, but he knew it would have to be tested to make sure. That wasn't his job, however. Suzaku was a police officer, not a CSI.

He was standing in the living room looking at the photograph when Gino returned. Twenty minutes or so had passed since he left and he raised his eyebrows when he saw that Suzaku was the only one there. He shoved the photo back into his pocket.

"They're late again?"

"Yeah."

Gino rolled his eyes and walked to the window, looking down to the parking lot.

"They're just pulling up now so they'll be a couple minutes. Anyway, the neighbors said that the girl was a friend of Mr. Lamperouge's, but they apparently weren't romantically involved. They told me he was always working too much and it would be impossible to balance a healthy relationship." He chuckled

"Did anyone know her name?"

"Milly something. Did you look around?" Gino threw himself onto the leather sofa, yawned, and closed his eyes. Suzaku cringed.

"You know you're not supposed to sit on possible evidence."

Gino merely waved a hand lazily. Suzaku frowned but continued.

"Yeah, I took a look. It's really strange. The fridge is empty, the bedroom is a mess and I couldn't find any clothing at all. It's almost like he planned on leaving."

"Probably did. The neighbors also said that they hadn't seen Lamperouge in a few days." Suzaku's emerald eyes widened slightly.

"You think he killed her?" Gino raised his eyelids and glanced in Suzaku's direction.

"You don't? It seems pretty damn suspicious to me."

Suzaku frowned. "That's true, but-"

A knock on the door deterred him from completing his sentence, which he supposed was a relief because he didn't know what he was going to say. Gino jumped off of the couch and quickly flattened out his clothes. Two people dressed in black jumpsuits that read "CSI" entered the room, a young woman and a middle aged man. Suzaku and Gino quickly briefed them on the case, and wished them good luck as they exited, leaving them to their jobs. After reaching the main floor, Gino breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his partner, who gave a weak smile.

"Glad that's over," Suzaku nodded. "Want to go get a drink? Your shift's over now, right?"

"Yeah, but I think I'm just going to head home. Kallen's pretty pissed that I'm working the evening, so I think the sooner I get back the better." Gino laughed, placing a firm hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Man, that girl's got you whipped." Suzaku pouted and Gino gave another loud chuckle. "Fine, fine. I'll let you off the hook this time. See you later."

"Bye." Suzaku stood still for a moment, watching his friend pass out the door, before moving to do so himself. He checked his watch, 12:17 AM, Kallen was probably sleeping. He stepped outside and immediately felt the cool air embrace him, causing him to shiver slightly and increase his pace on his way to his car.

When he arrived at the apartment he shared with his girlfriend of one year, Kallen, she was indeed sprawled across the bed as he had assumed she would be. Not wanting to unnecessarily wake her, he assembled a collection of blankets and set them up on the couch in the living room. He fell asleep almost immediately and dreamt of being a young boy again, playing with the two children in the photograph that was still folded in his back pocket.

* * *

"Hey, wait up Kururugi!"

Suzaku had just arrived at the police station when he heard his name being called. He stopped walking and glanced over his shoulder, meeting the gaze of Gino. "What's up?"

"I'm just thinking that we should get working on our investigation, right? The CSI have given us their report, so we have more to go on now. Plus I figured we could run Lamperouge through the database and see if he's had any prior conflicts with the law." Suzaku nodded, and Gino's face lit up. The blonde was incredibly devoted to catching criminals as fast as possible. They walked in silence to Gino's office, inside of which was a wooden desk littered with documents, pens, and files. Gino grinned sheepishly at his display of untidiness and took a seat on the black leather chair that was placed on the far side of the desk. Suzaku stood beside him. Gino reached into a drawer and pulled out a thin file, handing it to Suzaku, who took it without hesitation. He opened the file, which contained about three or four sheets of paper plus a couple autopsy photos, and began reading.

The girl, identified as Milly Ashford, died of a GSW to the chest, which travelled directly through her aorta, and she had been dead for approximately three or four days. In addition to the bullet wound, she had large contusions on her neck, indicating that she had been strangled.

Concerning evidence, several prints had been lifted from the apartment, the majority belonging to Lamperouge, Ashford, and an unknown source that hadn't appeared in the database. This was surprising to Suzaku, due to the fact that all Britannian citizens had been ordered to be printed just last year. The CSI had also found it suspicious that the fridge and dressers had been empty, suggesting in the report that Lamperouge might have had something to do with the murder. Suzaku briefly examined the photos, several of the bruises on Ashford's neck and the hole in her chest, before closing the folder.

"What do you think?" Gino glanced up at him for a moment. "That thing about the fingerprints is weird, huh?"

"No kidding. But it could be a mistake, or maybe they're not from Britannia." His partner shrugged.

"Maybe…"

A few silent moments passed before the official Britannia Citizen Database appeared on the screen of Gino's computer. The blonde typed Lelouch's name into the search taskbar, pressed enter, and sat back in his chair. About ten seconds later a single result become visible. Gino clicked.

Suzaku leaned closer to the glowing LCD screen as information on Lamperouge began to appear.

Lelouch Lamperouge, age 25, born on December 5th 1999, and has lived in Tokyo since birth. No siblings were listed and neither were his birth parents. He was taken in by the Ashford's, a notably wealthy family, and attended one of the most prestigious medical institutes in the nation. He was now a surgeon at the Tokyo General Hospital. No previous altercation with the police. A picture had loaded on the right side of the window and as soon as Suzaku laid eyes on it his eyebrows rose into his brown disheveled bangs.

Lamperouge had sleek, medium length black hair that swept across his forehead and slightly brushed his shoulders. His long fringe fell just barely above his eyes, which were a stunning violet and were half lidded in bored indifference. His skin was as pale as it had been in the photograph, Suzaku thought, for this was indeed that child. He was older, though, obviously. His neck was long and thin, Adam's apple evident in the center of his throat. The fingers that gripped the piece of plastic that read his name were long and looked smooth, as did the rest of his skin. He was good looking; Suzaku would even go as far as to say he was attractive. He turned to Gino, who was apparently done reading as well.

"So he was adopted by the Ashford's, which would explain why he was close with the victim." Suzaku nodded.

"But I still don't see any motive he would have to kill her. Also, what about those unidentified prints? They probably belong to the murderer. Maybe he killed Lamperouge as well and just hid the body somewhere else, or-"

Gino held up his hands, grinning. "Whoa, hold it Suzaku. I'm also aware that there are many possible explanations for what happened, but I think the best thing we can do right now is find Lelouch before making any unnecessary assumptions. Okay?"

Suzaku pursed his lips, but agreed.

Gino's grin widened as he pressed a button to make the monitor go black. "Good."

* * *

The rest of Suzaku's day was spent doing mundane tasks around the station, paperwork from previous cases, mostly, and all throughout he couldn't get the murder investigation off of his mind.

His shift ended at seven and, eager to see Kallen, denied another invitation to socialize with Gino. He felt guilty when he rejected his friend, to see the blonde's smile falter for a moment before telling Suzaku that it was alright, there was always tomorrow. Then again, he felt even guiltier when he arrived home at midnight to a tired and irritated girlfriend.

When he opened the door to the shared apartment, the faint aroma of ramen invaded his senses. He removed his jacket and shoes, placing them in the closet to his right, and walked into the kitchen, expecting Kallen to be standing at the stove cooking. Instead, what he discovered was a single bowl of soup sitting on the table. He furrowed his eyebrows, and when he placed a finger in the brown liquid found it quite cold.

He heard a soft whimper from the bedroom.

Turning around the corner, Suzaku could see Kallen standing at the window, staring out at the city. No lights were on inside, and the glow from the window illuminated Kallen's front and each strand of her reddish hair. Suzaku felt his heart drop into his abdomen when she faced him and he saw the tears that ran down her face. She quickly turned away and brought a hand to her eyes to wipe them. Kallen was a proud woman and allowing even an ounce of weakness was pathetic in her eyes, this Suzaku knew from over a year of experience.

Suzaku walked towards Kallen, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor, until he stood directly behind her, bodies brushing against each other, and draped his arms around her thin waist. He kissed her neck softly before resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry…"

She placed her soft hands over Suzaku's rough ones, rubbing gentle circles into his palms, and leaned her head back.

"I know." He felt her hot breath on his ear.

He gripped her waist, turning her so that she was facing him and placed a rough, desperate kiss on her lips. She responded immediately, grasping his neck, and pulling their bodies closer. He led her to their bed and laid her down, never once breaking their kiss. After a few moments that seemed to last hours, Kallen broke away and so did Suzaku and Kallen was crying again. He wanted to comfort her, but all of a sudden he was so, so tired and found he was fighting against the urge to sleep. His eyes fluttered as the image of Kallen staring at him slowly fading to black…

"I miss you..." He heard her say, and he wanted to respond but he had no voice. He fell asleep and soon Kallen did also, both having completely forgotten the ramen that sat on the kitchen table.

He did not dream.

* * *

His phone was ringing. He did not know what time it was, it was still dark outside, but he knew that his phone was ringing and it was his duty to answer it. He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, and his phone was therefore in his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Suzaku, we found him! Lelouch, that is. He was at the Ashford estate and we're bringing him to the station now so come in as soon as possible, I'll meet you there." Gino's voice was fast and his words slurred together, but Suzaku understood that it was out of urgency and so he quickly got out of bed and, not bothering to change; put on his shoes and left.

Upon arriving at the station, he discovered that he was the first. He sat at the entrance for about fifteen minutes, fidgeting anxiously with his hands, before the door finally burst open, and when it did Suzaku found standing before him the personification of elegance.

Despite having his hands cuffed behind his back and being led by two officers of the law, Lamperouge seemed perfectly calm. He took long, smooth strides, his feet not once faltering. His eyes, which looked even more brilliant in person, stared unwaveringly into Suzaku's as he passed, silky hair swaying with each movement and a small smirk played upon his pale lips. Suzaku found himself frozen and saw Gino enter behind them. He walked up to him, grinning as usual.

"This is good, now we can get information from the man himself, hey?" Suzaku looked at his partner, whose eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Wait, are you blushing?"

Suzaku felt his face heat up. "No!" Gino laughed.

"I know Lamperouge is good looking, but I didn't take you for one who played for both sides, if you know what I mean." Suzaku resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to punch the blonde.

"I don't! I-It's just hot in here." Gino stopped laughing, but the grin remained firmly in place.

"Sure, whatever. Well? You gonna interrogate him or should I?" He placed a serious look on his face. "We do want to make sure that all that goes on in that room is interrogation." Suzaku hit Gino in the arm, hard, hissed that he would do it, and began walking away.

He heard his partner call out, "don't forget there are cameras in there!" before he was out of earshot.

* * *

Thank you so much, R&R!


	2. Deux

A/N: Back again, finally, with the second chapter. I apologize for the long wait, I've just been dealing with some health and school issues. Next chapter will hopefully come sooner.

I was very surprised with the amount of reviews/alerts/favorites I got right off the bat! In a good way, of course. I'm glad people like this story, and hopefully I can continue to please you readers.

Sorry if there's any mistakes, or things that don't make sense. I self edit. Feel free to ask questions.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Two

"Hardly an appropriate outfit for this time of year, don't you think Mr. Lamperouge?"

Suzaku closed the door behind him, and ran his eyes over his suspect. At the moment, Lelouch Lamperouge was wearing a black muscle shirt, boxer shorts, and a pair of thick white socks. The pale skin of his thin limbs was covered in goose bumps and had his hands not been cuffed behind his back, Suzaku assumed they would be wrapped around his torso. The man addressed shifted his gaze to meet Suzaku's, annoyance evident in his expression.

"I sincerely apologize for not wearing a suit when I sleep. Anyway, that's irrelevant."

His voice was smooth, confident, and calm. It matched perfectly with his appearance. Suzaku's eyes narrowed. "I'm Detective Kururugi," he said, sitting down across from the black haired man and dropping a thin folder onto the steel table that separated them. Lamperouge glanced at the folder, then back at Suzaku.

"Thrilled to meet you."

"I'm sure. Do you know why you're here?"

Lelouch tilted his head slightly, crossing one slim leg over the other. "My friend was murdered."

Suzaku searched the other man's eyes for emotion. Guilt, grief, satisfaction, anything, but all he saw was indifference and weariness, likely from being woken up in the middle of the night and dragged downtown. He felt resentment begin to materialize inside of him at this lack of concern. Suzaku hated apathy.

"Did you kill her?"

"No."

"I see…" he paused. "Do you know who did?"

Finally, Suzaku saw feeling in the cold pools of violet that until now had revealed nothing.

Anger. Utter hatred was what he saw, if only for a brief moment due to Lamperouge regaining his composure.

"Perhaps, but I have absolutely no inclination to tell you." His voice, while still smooth, was laced with bitterness.

"Do you not trust the police?"

Lelouch let out a short laugh which echoed loudly in the confines of the interrogation room, then leaned forward, glaring at Suzaku through narrowed eyes, and hissed, "the police are merely tools used by Britannia, so no, I don't fucking trust them."

Suzaku raised his eyebrows. Such a deliberate display of animosity towards Britannia, especially to a police officer, was rare. Not because everyone liked the country, but because it was punishable by death. "Mr. Lamperouge, am I correct in assuming that you do not like Britannia?"

"Obviously,"

"Are you aware that I could have you sentenced to death right now for expressing this?"

"Of course,"

They sat in silence for a moment, each gazing absently into the other's eyes, before Suzaku spoke again.

"Who do you trust, then?"

Lelouch seemed surprised at the question, violet orbs widened a fraction and he leaned back. "Hmmm… myself," he said quietly, then smiled and added, "Sometimes."

"Is there a reason for this obvious," Suzaku searched his mind for a word, "cynicism?"

Lelouch's smile faltered and his face molded into an unreadable expression. "Yes."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly."

Suzaku sighed, deciding to move on to something more relevant to the case. "Your neighbors said that you haven't been around in a few days, which coincidentally is when the murder occurred. Can you explain this to me?"

Lelouch stiffened. "I went to the Ashford's."

"I know that, why?"

Violet eyes narrowed and made a point of looking at the wall behind Suzaku, pale lips arched downwards into a frown. It was clear that he was not going to answer.

"You went to your house and saw Ms Ashford's body, didn't you."

"…Yes."

"Why didn't you call the police?"

"Calling the police wouldn't bring her back, nothing will. Trying is pointless. Besides, I already know who the culprit is, and I'm afraid there's not a lot that you can do to them."

"Oh? And why would that be?" Suzaku asked, an irate edge emerging in his voice due to the fact that they had been talking for over a minute and he still knew nothing more than he did before. To say that Suzaku was impatient was a large understatement.

"I doubt that you will concur with me, but I can't tell you." Lelouch closed his eyes, leaning to one side. Suzaku, for a brief moment, believed he was sleeping and made to shake him awake when long black lashes fluttered open and violet eyes caught his gaze under half closed lids, lips parted. Suzaku froze, unable to stop the thought of capturing those lips with his own from running through his head. His eyes widened, he had a girlfriend, and more importantly, Lelouch was a man. A fairly feminine looking man, however, and he hadn't gotten any action from Kallen lately because of his job, so this was natural, right? He wasn't gay, just deprived. Lelouch smirked, and the officer was certain that his cheeks were stained red at this point. It took a few seconds before Suzaku realized that the other had said something.

"E-excuse me?"

"I said, not that you would believe me if I did."

Suzaku relaxed back into his chair, resting his sweaty palms flat against the steel table and repressing a shiver at the cool contact. Lelouch still looked amused. "What makes you so sure?"

"Trust me."

Suzaku almost laughed out loud at the irony. He instead opted for a cold glare, which the pale man in front of him seemed unfazed by. A few moments passed before Lelouch yawned, tilting his head forward so that his black fringe concealed his face. Suzaku expected him to raise his head again, but furrowed his eyebrows when he remained completely still except for the rhythmic rise and fall of his back.

"Lelouch," he said, leaning forward. No reaction. He glanced at his watch and discovered that it was a little past four in the morning. He sighed, deciding that this time, Lelouch really was asleep.

* * *

"Well that was productive."

Gino was sitting in a chair in the middle of a small dimly lit room, pouting as he stared through the two way mirror across from him at the sleeping form of one Lelouch Lamperouge. Suzaku groaned in agreement, falling into a chair beside his friend.

"He's tired; hopefully we can get more out of him tomorrow."

"I guess." It was silent for a few seconds, until a wide, mischievous grin made its way onto Gino's face. "So, you gonna ask him on a date? Take him to questioning and lunch, maybe?"

"Shut up. You know I'm not –" Gino laughed.

"I'm just teasing you, relax, okay? I feel like you're going to explode on me or something." Suzaku frowned, but said nothing. The both gazed absently through the glass in front of them, the brunette wondering if Kallen was asleep or up waiting again, until Gino opened his mouth.

"Don't think I didn't see that blush, though."

"I'm going home." Suzaku stood and stormed out of the room, slamming the door on the sound of his friend's hysterical laughter.

* * *

"Where were you?"

The harsh tone in Kallen's voice cut through Suzaku's skin as if it were melted butter. He shut the apartment door quietly before turning towards his angry girlfriend, whose cerulean eyes were narrowed in anger. He swallowed audibly, uncertain and afraid of how she would react to his next words.

"I had to go to-"

"Work?" Her eyes widened and she barked out a short laugh, "Of course."

"Listen, they caught a suspect and I had to go talk to him! It's my responsibility as a cop."

She appeared furious for a while, not saying anything, before her expression softened and she looked away from him.

"What about your responsibility as a lover?" She practically whispered.

Suzaku felt a pang of guilt surge through him, a feeling that had gotten sadly familiar recently when concerning their relationship. She was completely right. Over the past month or so, he had been so engrossed in his job that they barely spent time together, except for sleeping and arguments. He loved her, he really did, and he didn't deserve her. He walked forward and took one of her hands in his, bringing the other up to gentle stroke her cheek. "I love you. I'm sorry that I'm at work so much, but I promise that as soon as I'm done with this case, I'll take a vacation and we can go wherever you want to, okay? Please?"

She glanced up at him through fine strands of magenta hair, and he smiled reassuringly. She returned the gesture, cupping her free hand at the base of his neck and leaning forward to take him into a gentle kiss.

"Let me get dressed and we'll go out for breakfast, yeah? It's nearly five thirty and I'm quite awake by now." She began walking away to their bedroom, but stopped after a few moments to look at him over her shoulder with a glint in her eye. "Well? Aren't you coming with me? You've been wearing those clothes for what, three days now?"

He sent her a playful glare. "Just yesterday, actually, now come on."

* * *

"So, tell me about the case." Kallen asked casually, tearing off a small piece of toast and using it to gesture at Suzaku, then popping it in between her bright red lips. It was about a quarter after six, and the sun was beginning to rise, causing the clouds to become stained with pink, red and orange as daylight began to show itself. Suzaku tore his eyes away from the sky outside the window and sighed.

"Well, the crime isn't all that unusual. Murder, single victim, but the evidence is strange, some fingerprints were lifted that aren't even in the database, and the guy who owns the apartment where she was found says he didn't kill her, but that he knows who did and won't tell me." Kallen raised her eyebrows in a combination of curiosity and surprise. "I don't know what to think, except that Lamperouge obviously knows more than he's telling us."

"Obviously."

Silence ensued for a moment, Kallen apparently fully engrossed in her pancakes and Suzaku mulling over his job. The former glanced and her boyfriend's plate and sighed.

"You're barely even touched your breakfast. You always get like this, you damn worrywart."

He looked up at her, expecting to be greeted with the face of a pissed off woman, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw that she was smiling affectionately. His emerald eyes widened, and she must have seen the shock in his expression because she poked his chest lightly with her fork.

"Don't act like seeing me happy is some sort of rarity, asshole." She said with a smirk.

Suzaku smiled genuinely, grasping her wrist, pulling her hand to his face and placing a kiss on one of the knuckles. She scoffed, but Suzaku did not miss the blush that crept on to her fair cheeks.

"We've discussed my work life enough, how about you? How is your job going?"

Kallen was a master in karate, despite her young age, and gave lessons to those seeking to become equally as strong. It never ceased to amuse Suzaku that most of her students were older than she was.

"Really good, actually, there's a competition coming up soon and I'm sure that we're going to dominate. The students this year are fantastic."

Suzaku grinned at her confidence, which was one of the many things that had first attracted him to her.

"I'm sure the other teams are shivering already. Tell me the date and I'll come to watch." The joy in her smile brought pleasant warmth to his chest. He glanced at his watch. "Right now, though, I have work. See you later." He leaned over the table to place a short kiss on her rosy lips and stood with a content grin before walking out of the café.

"…I love you." Kallen said to the retreating back of her lover. She sighed softly.

* * *

"Suzaku, you look happy," Gino narrowed his eyes upon seeing his partner enter the building in seemingly high spirits, a contrast to his earlier mood, and tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong with you?"

The brunette laughed, causing Gino to mutter something about 'exhaustion'.

"I'm just in a good mood, I had breakfast with Kallen, so don't ruin it." He said as they began walking towards the room where Lamperouge was still being detained. "Did you get any more out of him?"

"Not really. I went to talk to him about twenty minutes ago when he woke up, but he didn't tell me anything that he hasn't already told you." The tall blonde pouted. "Are you gonna go back in?"

"Yeah," he said. They turned a corner, opened a heavy black door, and found themselves facing a messy haired, red eyed Lelouch Lamperouge.

"Yo, Lelouch!" Gino called from behind Suzaku, waving. Both of the other men in the room winced. "Well I'll leave you here, Suzy. I'll be watching!" With a not-so-subtle wink, he was gone, and Suzaku felt a familiar rush of blood to his face. He turned back to Lamperouge, who either did not notice Gino's behavior or chose not to acknowledge it, because he was gazing at the wall behind Suzaku with a blank expression.

"I see you've met my partner."

Lelouch blinked, his violet irises darting from the wall to lock with Suzaku's.

"Unfortunately," he said, sending a quick glare in the direction of the large mirror. Suzaku could imagine Gino laughing on the other side.

"I share that sentiment, but that's not what we're here to discuss, is it?"

Lelouch shrugged. "You brought it up."

Anger briefly flooded Suzaku's senses, his fists clenched and his lips formed a frown. Lelouch just watched him, looking almost bored. Suzaku, having done many interrogations and therefore having to have dealt with many rude, irritating, self righteous bastards, quickly regained his composure.

"Yes, well, either way it doesn't matter. What matters is finding whoever killed Ms. Ashford and making sure they receive the appropriate punishment, don't you agree?"

Lelouch stared at Suzaku for a long moment; his purple eyes appeared to be looking right through him, or rather inside his mind. It was unnerving to say the least. Finally, he looked away.

"You're going to think I'm mental, but I guess I'll tell you," he began, pausing to take a breath. "The man who killed Milly…

is Schneizel el Britannia."

Suzaku blinked, once, twice, three times, before bursting out into fits of laughter. Accusing a member of the royal family was completely absurd. Lelouch did not seem surprised at all with the reaction; he rolled his eyes and pursed his lips into a scowl. After about twenty seconds of loud, obnoxious laughter, Suzaku realized that his suspect was not laughing along with him. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared incredulously at the man before him.

"You're actually serious? Do you know how ridiculous that is? I should have you executed this very second!"

"Go ahead; I'd rather be dead than live in some sick empire where the royal family is made up of insensitive murderers for the rest of my life."

Suzaku's eyes widened. Was this man insane? He took two quick steps forward and slammed both his palms down on the hard surface of the table. Lelouch did not flinch.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"Britannia deserves to crumble and rot."

Patriotism and loyalty overwhelmed Suzaku's mind as all common sense abandoned him. In the span of about three seconds, he had delivered a wicked punch to the side of Lelouch's jaw. Three more seconds later, he was winding his arm back for another blow only to have his fist caught mid swing by a stern looking Gino. Lelouch now lay on the floor, spitting blood out of his mouth and glaring knives at the officer.

"That's quite enough."

Despite Gino's normally calm, carefree demeanor, there was a side of him that could get extremely serious. He was taller than Suzaku, and, though the brunette knew he could stand his ground in a fight against him, he had no desire to do so. He relaxed his arm, which Gino then released hesitantly, and walked straight out of the room, around the corner, and out of an exit into the cool air. Knowing Gino, the man would likely stay behind to help Lelouch.

Suzaku sat down on the curb, facing the police station's parking lot, and sighed. Lelouch… who was he? Such blatant hatred for the empire was uncommon. Perhaps something had happened to make him so bitter, like a family member being executed. The girl in the photo, did it have something to do with her?

…He was thinking way too much. He dug around impatiently in his jacket pocket, finally grabbing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He took one out of the pack and brought it to his lips, lit it, and took a long drag, closing his eyes. Resting his back against the wall of the building, he continued to smoke until he felt fully relaxed. It was a bad habit, he knew it, but somehow that didn't bother him. He didn't do it very often, a couple times a week usually. If it was Kallen, he was sure he'd be furious, but it was different when it was himself with the problem. He stubbed in out on the cool cement beside him and stood.

He stepped on the butt, staring at his foot for a moment, just thinking. He shook his head and went back inside, blinking at the sudden decrease in light. Once his vision was adjusted, he spotted Gino walking towards him with his mischievous grin back in place. "Hello," he practically sang, and then passed right by. Suzaku blinked.

"What…"

"Detective Kururugi!" Upon hearing his name called, the brunette turned to face the owner of the voice. It was the chief of police, Jeremiah Gottwald. The man was tall and muscular with teal hair that was swept back and bright, piercing orange-hued eyes. Suzaku immediately straightened himself and nodded.

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to come to my office. I have an assignment for you." With that, he turned on his heel and began to walk briskly in the opposite direction. Suzaku followed close behind. The chief stopped abruptly in front of a large mahogany door, causing the younger man to almost bump into him. He opened the door, which led into a large office, and sat down behind his desk. Suzaku took a seat on the opposite side.

"What's the assignment, sir?" Jeremiah stared at him with narrowed eyes, slowly opening his mouth to speak.

"Weinberg was in here earlier telling me about the case you're working on," he began. Inwardly, Suzaku cringed. Gino had acted very strange when he saw him in the hall minutes ago. Something was about to happen, and he probably wasn't going to like it…

"As you know, it would be unwise for your suspect to return to his home after what has occurred," Suzaku nodded, starting to feel exceedingly uneasy. "Your partner recommended that he might stay with someone from the police force until he has settled back into normal circumstances, and his safety is ensured." The brunette's heart was beating very, very fast at this point, and his leg was beginning to twitch, but Jeremiah couldn't agree with Gino's ridiculous idea…

Could he?

"He suggested you," Suzaku began to build up hope that the Chief would begin to laugh and tell him that it was just a joke, "and I agree." His hope perished instantly.

It took a few seconds for Suzaku to speak. "But...what? I-"

"This is an order, Kururugi. Until we have the perpetrator of this crime behind bars, Lelouch Lamperouge will be staying with you at your home."

Shit.

* * *

Oh snap! How will this play out? You'll have to wait until next time. ;)

Thanks. R&R.


	3. Trois

AN: Hoooooly shit, okay. I am so sorry that it's been so ridiculously long since my last update, but I've been going through a lot of stuff and it's been really hard to work on my stories. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and even though this chapter is not as long as my other ones I really hope you like it. Please feel free to ask questions and if there are any errors let me know. I just really wanted to get this posted so that you wouldn't have to wait any longer.

Please forgive me and enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Three

The sound of the door closing behind him barely registered in Suzaku's mind as he stared at the wall opposite him with wide eyes. This couldn't be happening…Lelouch was going to be staying at his apartment.

Oh God, what was Kallen going to do? The thought alone sent a shiver down Suzaku's spine.

He began walking, and amid the haze of confusion and anxiety in his mind, one thing was certain.

He was going to kill Gino.

* * *

As he was prowling the hallways in search of a certain blonde idiot, a loud laugh echoed off of the walls, a laugh that Suzaku would recognize anywhere. He growled and walked faster towards the source. He recognized his surroundings as being close to where Lelouch was, which made him slightly nervous, but also reminded him of why he was on the hunt in the first place. Laughter sounded again, directly to his right, and he whipped his head to the side. Judging by the volume and clarity, a door was all that separated Suzaku from his prey.

Emerald eyes narrowed dangerously, he took three long, swift strides and grasped the doorknob, practically tearing it open.

"Gino, you son of- Ah!" Suzaku froze. Before him stood Gino, of course, with his hand resting on the shoulder of an obviously confused Lelouch, who was glancing back and forth between Suzaku and the final occupant of the room. Chief Jeremiah. Suzaku's face reddened in embarrassment.

"Good, good. I was just going to send for you, Kururugi." The teal haired man said, giving a slight nod towards Suzaku, who blinked.

"You were? What is it that you need, sir?" After the last thing Jeremiah had asked of him, he was not looking forward to the reply.

"Weinberg and I were just about to inform Mr. Lamperouge here of the situation." He answered, gesturing towards the black haired man beside him. Gino's grin grew and Lelouch's violet eyes widened slightly, though his voice remained confident.

"What situation, if I may ask?"

"Ah, yes. You see, since the murder occurred in your home, and the victim was one of your friends, it is quite possible that the crime was directed at you, and therefore you may be in danger. We have decided that the best thing to do is have you stay with one of our officers, under surveillance. Please understand that this is purely for your safety."

"Of course," Lelouch drawled, a smirk forming on his lips. "Not to mention that if I happen to be the murderer, which by the way I am not, I'll be unable to commit other crimes under constant watch."

Jeremiah stared at Lelouch for a few moments, before he grinned. "Yes, that too."

"So, who will I have the pleasure of living with?"

"Suzaku Kururugi."

Lelouch flinched, and Suzaku instantly felt very uncomfortable. The pale man glared viciously at him, subconsciously raising a hand to the side of his face, which was an angry red. When he realized his actions, however, it flew back to his side. Then, he did something Suzaku did not expect. He took a few steps towards him, so that he was about a foot away, and Suzaku noted how Lelouch was a few inches shorter than himself, how he had unusually long eyelashes, and how his eyes were practically stabbing him with their intensity. Lelouch raised his hand, and when Suzaku showed no sign of reacting, gripped the brunette's in his own, shaking it slowly.

Suzaku felt a jolt run up his spine at the contact. Lelouch's fingers were slender and incredibly soft, yet his grip was strong and confident.

"I suppose we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Detective Kururugi." Lelouch said quietly, slipping his ivory hand out from Suzaku's. He suppressed a shiver.

"So it seems."

Suzaku was mildly surprised that he had managed to keep his voice even. He didn't know what it was about Lelouch Lamperouge that could get him to feel so damn nervous, but he was hoping that he would figure it out in the near future. Lelouch's pale lips stretched into a lazy smile, and a pleasant hum resonated from the back of his throat, his eyelashes fluttering simultaneously with the wings of the butterflies that had formed in Suzaku's stomach. A loud cough distracted both men, and they turned to see Gino with his hand over his mouth in what to the untrained eye would appear to be a kind gesture of hygiene, but Suzaku knew better.

He could see the enormous grin that his partner was attempting to hide.

Bastard.

Jeremiah, oblivious to all that had just occurred, clapped his muscular hands together. "Excellent. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, Kururugi, why don't you take Mr. Lamperouge here to your apartment and get him comfortable, yes? You're off for the rest of the day."

Suzaku's throat constricted, unable to find his voice, he swallowed miserably and nodded. Jeremiah flashed his white teeth. Lelouch raised one thin eyebrow.

"Excuse me, officer, but my belongings are still at the Ashford's, and I would like to get them before moving anywhere. Especially a change of clothing…" he trailed off and, Suzaku noted triumphantly, a blush crept across his fine cheeks.

"Ah, of course. Weinberg, you take him to the Ashford manor and once he's ready, drop him off." Gino nodded. "Is that all, Mr. Lamperouge?"

Lelouch thought for a moment. "Um…" he spoke so softly, the three other men found themselves leaning towards him slightly to hear him. "I'd like to see Milly, if that's alright."

Suzaku's eyes widened slightly as both he and Gino glanced at Jeremiah, who nodded. "You two escort him; I have to get back to work." He began to walk to the doorway, stopping only to squeeze Lelouch's arm reassuringly, and then he was gone. Suzaku bit his lip and looked back at Gino, who smiled.

"Well," he said, slinging an arm around Lelouch's shoulders and guiding him to the exit, "come on, Suzie!"

* * *

Suzaku squeezed his eyes closed and grimaced as the liquid ran down his throat, leaving a burning sensation and the aftertaste of cheap whiskey. He'd never been much of a drinker, but it seemed appropriate after the events of earlier. He had arrived back to an empty house, which meant that Kallen had already left for work, and immediately downed four consecutive shots. Now, two hours and half a bottle later, he was somewhere between pleasantly buzzed and outright drunk. He lay his head back on the arm of the sofa, opened his eyes, and began staring quite intently at a small discoloration on the ceiling (which seemed to be moving), and sighed. This had been a really, really stupid idea.

The sound of keys and the doorknob turning made his head shoot up, sending a spike of nausea into the pit of his stomach, which only doubled as the door opened and his gaze locked with Kallen's.

A really, really fucking stupid idea.

"Suzaku?" Kallen cocked her head to one side and began to slowly remove her jacket. "What are you…?" She trailed off, her eyes widened as she spotted the alcohol. "What the hell?" Suzaku blinked. When his eyes reopened Kallen had already cleared half of the room and was advancing at a superhuman pace, anger was written all over her face, along with confusion. He swallowed the vomit that had been creeping up his throat and scurried to the far end of the couch, all too familiar with Kallen when she was in this state. She reached him, snatched the bottle from his weakened grasp, and glared at him. Just stood there, searching his eyes for an answer.

"Well?" She asked, when that answer never came. "Why are you getting shit-faced in the middle of the day? Why aren't you at work?" Her lips parted, and the anger flushed from her entirely. She took a seat next to him, placing her soft hand on his.

"You got fired, didn't you?"

It was Suzaku's turn to be surprised. "Fired?" He said, his voice cracking slightly at the end of the word. He wondered if being fired would feel better than this did. "No, no, no! I... was given an assignment."

Kallen's grip on his hand tightened. "And that assignment involves getting drunk?"

He swallowed. "Um, no."

"Then why?"

He looked over at her, resting his head on the back of the sofa to keep everything from spinning. "I- "

There was a knock at the door. Specifically, seven knocks arranged in a short tune. Playful. Juvenile. Gino.

Suzaku ran his hand over his face, releasing a loud groan of irritation. Kallen sighed, patting his hand before going to open the door. The moment she did, however, she had to swiftly jump back due to Gino bursting into the apartment, dragging a flustered Lelouch by the arm and a suitcase in the other.

"Hello Suuuuuuzie! I brought you your- ow!" Gino dropped the suitcase and his grip on Lelouch as both the latter and Kallen delivered simultaneous punches to his arm. Lelouch rubbed his wrist where he had been held, scowling, while Kallen assaulted Gino, both verbally _and _physically.

"You don't just waltz into someone's house, jackass! What the hell are you doing here anyway?" She poked a finger hard into the center of his chest, and he pouted.

"Why must you always be so cruel?" She glared, and he dropped the act. "Alright, fine. I'm here to drop off your new roommate, didn't Suzaku tell you?"

Kallen froze. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Gino blinked, and then a mischievous grin came over his face. "You don't know? Lelouch here is going to be staying with you two for a while." He made a dramatic gesture towards Lelouch, who had taken his suitcase and was watching the ordeal with an amused expression, until his name was mentioned. He bit his lip anxiously, but extended his hand to Kallen nonetheless.

"Um, I'm Lelouch. I'm terribly sorry to be intruding but it's nothing I have control over." Kallen gave him a narrow-eyed once over, and took his hand, shaking it with the strength Lelouch would have expected from someone twice her size.

"I'm Kallen. Excuse my language, but can someone please explain what the fuck is happening?"

Lelouch smiled warmly at Kallen. "I would ask Suzaku to tell you, but he seems a little…unwell?" The corner of his lips twitched. Gino and Kallen turned around, seeming to have forgotten that he was even present, and raised their eyebrows. Suzaku was wide-eyed and pale, staring blankly ahead of him with his hands clasped over his mouth, looking as though he was going to jump up and run away any moment. Slowly, his hands were removed from his face and he looked over at his company. A trickle of yellowish liquid ran from the corner of his mouth to his chin.

"Bathroom, then explain," he said weakly, and took off.

* * *

Suzaku coughed into the porcelain bowl, eyes shut tight and wetness clinging to his eyelashes, his fists gripping either side of the toilet so hard that his knuckles had turned white. He groaned as the smell of alcohol and bile attacked his senses. _Calm down, calm down, calm down_, he repeated in his head, and began to take deep breaths. Although he absolutely hated vomiting, he felt unbelievably better. Well, in the physical sense, at least. As his heart rate slowed down, he closed his eyes and wondered if he could just lock himself in the bathroom until everybody left. Of course, the rational part of his mind, though dulled remarkably by the whiskey, knew that that would be impossible. So, he stood up and plucked a tissue from the box, wiped his mouth clean, and began stumbling back to the living room.

Kallen was perched on the couch, holding the whiskey bottle (which appeared emptier than Suzaku remembered) in her lap and glaring at it. Gino was spread out on the opposite end of the piece of furniture, apparently trying to get Lelouch, who was standing about eight feet away with a scowl, to sit down between Kallen and himself.

Lelouch was the first to spot that Suzaku had returned from the bathroom, and the corner of his lips turned up slightly. "Feeling better?" Gino turned, grinning widely. Kallen glared.

Suzaku shifted, leaning on the wall for support as he slid down it to sit on the floor. "A little," he said hoarsely.

"Well, now that's over with, mind explaining why there's going to be a stranger staying in my apartment for an undisclosed amount of time?" Kallen raised her eyebrows at him.

"Um, you know the case I was telling you about at breakfast?" She nodded. "Well, the body was found at Lelouch's apartment, so he's going to stay with us so that whoever did it doesn't hurt him too."

Kallen stared at him for a moment and then glanced warily at Lelouch, whose lips tightened in a mild grimace as he nodded. "I'm no more enthused about this than you are, trust me," he said. Her blue eyes flickered back to Suzaku, then to the floor, and she was silent. A few moments passed until she finally spoke.

"Well, an order's an order. I'll be fine."

Suzaku let out a relieved sigh, his head falling forward so that his forehead rested on his knees and everything went black. He wasn't aware of anything that happened for a while after that, until something soft brushed over his hand, bringing him back from his stupor, and he looked up to see Lelouch eyeing him with real, legitimate concern. His face felt suddenly hot, but that could have been the alcohol that was still in his system. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh. Um, yeah, just tired…" Suzaku's eyes fluttered closed, but Lelouch squeezed his hand.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on the floor, come on." Suzaku groaned as the other man tried to lift him up, but reluctantly got himself into a standing position and followed Lelouch to the couch, which was empty.

"Where'd Kallen and Gino go?" He mumbled, collapsing onto the piece of furniture and looking around. Lelouch sat beside him, and he found himself leaning on the slim man's shoulder, and surprisingly he didn't care all that much.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, but did not protest. "Gino went back to the station, and Kallen is in the bathroom taking a shower."

Suzaku closed his eyes, nodding in understanding, and promptly passed out.

* * *

Thank you so much. R&R. Just so you know, I absolutely do not plan on abandoning this fic.


	4. Quatre

A/N: …I have no excuse. All I can say is that I've been very busy and that the only computer I own that has word is a piece of shit. Anyway, here I am with chapter four. Thank you so much to those who have reviewed/favourited/alerted, I hope I don't disappoint you.

It's four in the morning here, so I take all responsibility for any typos or errors, and I'll look over this tomorrow when I'm not seeing double. Feel free to ask questions.

Enjoy

* * *

Chapter Four

The first thing Suzaku was aware of upon awakening was the comforting warmth emanating from the soft surface he was leaning against. He nuzzled into the sensation, feeling soft fabric brush against his cheek and muscles stiffen, more from surprise than discomfort, thought Suzaku, because moments later they relaxed and fingers began to run through his curls.

The second thing he was aware of was that his head hurt. A lot.

He lay silently for a minute or so, his eyes closed, simply enjoying the soothing fingers and softness and heat from whoever was beside him. He was moments away from passing out again when he remembered who he had fallen asleep against in the first place, and jerked violently away. He shuffled a few inches before opening his eyes, which were immediately bombarded with bright light and a large pinkish blob.

Wait… pink?

He closed his eyes, rubbed them with the bottoms of his palms, and looked again. This time he was greeted by the sight of a very tired, very confused Kallen. He sighed.

"Suzaku, what the hell? Are you okay?" Kallen reached out and rubbed his shoulder gently.

"I'm fine." He said softly, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "How long was I out?"

Kallen smiled. "A few hours, it's about three o'clock now." She let go of his shoulder and stood up. "Do you want something to eat? Lelouch made brownies, they're ridiculously good." She nodded to a plate on the coffee table.

"Huh? Oh, no thank you." His stomach turned at the thought of ingesting anything, no matter how delicious. "Lelouch, where is he?"

His question was answered when Lelouch peeked around the corner, a sly grin on his face and a steaming mug in his hand. "Morning, sunshine. I switched off with Kallen when you started trying to spoon with me."

Suzaku blushed, and decided to change the subject. "Is that coffee?"

Lelouch grimaced. "God, no. It's tea, much better for you."

"Oh."

Lelouch nodded and walked into the room, taking a seat on a chair to Suzaku's right. "Well, should we discuss the situation?"

"I think that would be a good idea." Kallen said, reclaiming her position beside Suzaku, who cleared his throat.

"Alright, since we don't have a spare bedroom you'll have to sleep on the couch, it's a pullout though so that shouldn't be too bad. You can keep your things in the cabinet over there," he pointed at the piece of furniture, "and I'll clear out a drawer for you in the bathroom." Lelouch nodded. "But this isn't a vacation. I'll be accompanying you at all times, and if I am unavailable for any reason Gino will take over. At night, there will be officers keeping an eye on the building to ensure you don't escape while I'm asleep. This will continue until we have Ms. Ashford's killer in custody or it is made clear that you are not a target. Is that clear?"

Lelouch, who was taking a sip of tea, raised his finger, swallowed, and lowered his cup.

"Crystal, Detective." Suzaku sighed.

"You can call me Suzaku, unless you prefer Sir?" Lelouch smirked.

"That's highly unlikely, _Suzaku_."

"I thought so." He turned and placed his hand on Kallen's shoulder. "Are you okay with this?"

She bit her lip and was silent for a moment, before nodding. "I suppose so. You don't seem like such a bad guy, Lelouch." She smiled wryly, "and even if you did turn out to be a murderer, I could kick your skinny ass from here to Mars." Lelouch's eyebrows shot upwards and Suzaku chuckled.

"It's true, so watch your back." He said.

Lelouch blinked. "Duly noted..."

Kallen, still grinning, grabbed a brownie from the table and took a large bite. "Mmm, or perhaps I'll make you my slave and have you bake for me instead." Suzaku pouted. "Don't look at me like that, darling. You nearly burned down the kitchen making instant noodles." Lelouch made a choking noise and a stream of tea dribbled down his chin.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," he said while wiping his face. "It's just, that's the most pathetic thing I've ever h-heard!" With this, he burst into a fit of laughter. Suzaku glared.

"It was one time! It didn't happen again," he said, flustered.

"Only because since then I haven't let you near the kitchen," Kallen replied.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side! You're my girlfriend!"

"Am I? Who knows, maybe I'll dump you and run off with Lelouch," she winked, "a gorgeous man who can cook is hard to find." Lelouch chuckled and stood.

"Indeed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to unpack my things, starting with the bathroom."

As soon as he left the room, Suzaku turned to Kallen and whispered, "What are you doing? How can you be so comfortable joking like that?" He frowned and his eyes widened. "You are joking, right?"

Kallen rolled her eyes and grabbed both sides of his head, putting their faces inches apart. "Of course I'm joking. I mean Lelouch is hot and his baking is divine, but I'm not in love with him. I'm in love with you." She pressed her lips to his, pulling back after a moment. "Besides, he's obviously gay."

"_What_?" Suzaku shrieked.

Kallen raised her eyebrows, "are you really that surprised?"

"Yes! Are you sure?"

"Positive. Total fag, that one."

"How can you tell?"

Kallen sighed and leaned back, taking on a serious expression and holding up her index finger. "For one, he can cook."

"That's a stereotype."

"Shut up. Two, did you see his hair?"

Suzaku buried his face in his hands. "A straight man can have nice hair."

"Yes, but I haven't mentioned my third point."

He slowly brought his head back up, and noted that she was blushing slightly. "Which is?"

"Well, when you were passed out I had a shower, right?" Suzaku nodded, not sure where this was going. "I thought Lelouch had gone with Gino, so I um, didn't bother with a towel when I came out."

Suzaku's eyes grew so wide that it hurt. "He saw you… naked?"

"Full on. The thing is though, he didn't do anything! Well, he looked of course, but only for a second. I must have looked terrified because he just smiled at me and said, 'don't worry about it. You're not really what I'm into.'" She looked at him expectantly.

"…So?" Kallen frowned at him. "Maybe he was just implying that you're not his type."

"Well of course I'm not his type. I don't have a fucking penis!"

Before Suzaku could come up with a response, Lelouch strut into the room with his large suitcase rolling behind him. He walked over to the cabinet and opened the bottom drawer. It seemed that all of a sudden he remembered there were other people present, and he turned around to look up at the two, who were unabashedly staring at him. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He asked, although he showed no inclination of moving either way.

Suzaku said, "Yes," at the same moment Kallen said, "Not at all." They glared at each other. Lelouch just laughed.

"You guys are a real couple. I'm just going to unpack my things and go to sleep, if that alright? It's been a bit of a long day." He looked pointedly at Suzaku, who resisted the juvenile urge to stick out his tongue, before returning to the task of putting his clothes away. Kallen stood up and jogged out of the room, shouting something about getting sheets for the pull-out, leaving the two men alone for the first time since Suzaku had woken up. He wracked his brain for something to say, but that only made his head ache, so he settled on watching Lelouch silently. One thing he realized quite quickly was that the other man didn't possess a ridiculous amount of clothes, they were all very nice, and likely expensive.

"Perks of being a doctor, hey?" He muttered.

"Hmm?" Lelouch didn't even pause, or turn his head to look at Suzaku.

"Nothing," he said, and the room fell back into silence.

* * *

The blaring of Kallen's phone alarm quickly invaded Suzaku's unconscious mind, tearing him from his sleep and sense of peace. His eyes opened and, groaning, he rolled onto his back. "Morning," he said, feeling the bed stir beside him as Kallen slipped out and began searching for an outfit.

"Good morning, Mr. Bodyguard. Are you ready for your first official day?" Suzaku cringed.

"Don't remind me." Kallen smiled playfully and threw a shirt at him.

"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure Lelouch won't be any trouble. It'll be like babysitting."

"I was never good at babysitting," he mumbled, "and I have a feeling this will be a whole lot worse."

His girlfriend rolled her eyes as she pulled on a blouse and began to button it up. After the last one, she smoothed out the silk and leaned over to kiss Suzaku on the cheek. "It's six thirty, go back to sleep."

Suzaku nodded his approval of the idea, mumbled, "I love you," to Kallen, and let the warm comfort of the bed lure him back into a dreamless slumber.

He was sure he'd need it.

* * *

Suzaku awoke three hours later, thankfully well rested, and lay sprawled across the sheets for a few moments, letting his mind wander to what the day might have in store for him. He didn't get a whole lot of interaction with his house guest last night, seeing as Lelouch had practically collapsed into a coma the moment his bed was made, but today would be different. Today they would have to… live with each other.

He shuddered.

Rolling off the bed, he glanced at the clock. 9:43, Lelouch would probably be awake by now, maybe he could persuade him into making breakfast. With that thought, Suzaku slipped into a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt and walked out to the living room. The bed was empty, along with the rest of the room, but he was expecting that. He set towards the kitchen. "Morning Lelouch," he called out, but there was no reply. His heart began racing. He ran into the kitchen, but no one was there, and he met the same result when he checked the bathroom. Fuck. Shit. He frantically looked over every square foot of his apartment. No Lelouch.

"If you're dead I'm gonna fucking kill you!" he shouted into the silence, pacing his bedroom. How could he have gotten out? Had someone broken in and taken him? No, there were no signs of a struggle. Shit, what had the officers been doing? How was he going to explain this to Gottwald?

Just as Suzaku was about to pass out from panic and fury, he heard movement at the front door. He ripped open the bedside drawer and pulled out his handgun, moving quickly towards the source. Hiding around a corner, he peeked out and saw two figures, one tall and muscular, the other medium height and slim. He took a deep breath, and burst into the room.

"Freeze! Hands in the air!" He couldn't make out the faces of the intruders in the dim lighting, but the shorter one hesitantly raised his hands up while the taller one laughed. It was a very familiar sound.

Suzaku's eyes widened and he groped along the wall, one hand still pointing his gun, until he found the light switch. As the identities of the men were revealed, he felt his heart lurch with relief, for standing in front of him were Gino and Lelouch, the latter still holding his hands in the air and looking terrified. He lowered the gun immediately. "Thank God," he whispered.

"Awww, Suzaku, were you worried sick over Lelouch? How cute!" Gino grinned wickedly. Beside him, the smaller man had regained his composure and glared.

"Shut up, idiot. I'm sorry Suzaku, I should have woken you up before we left but…"

"Yes, you really should have! Where the hell did you two go, anyway? Are you in trouble?"

"No, it's nothing like that. When I woke up I just noticed that you didn't have many groceries so I called Gino and we went to the store." Lelouch pointed to a pile of bags at his feet. "I left a note on the fridge."

Suzaku blinked. Lelouch was blushing, and even Gino looked a little guilty. He sighed. "Well, I guess if you're okay that's all that matters. I don't appreciate you just leaving without telling me, though. I nearly had a heart attack, so please, never do that again." The two nodded, looking a little bit like two boys who had just received a scolding from their mother. "To make up for it, you two can make breakfast with the food you bought."

Suzaku turned on his heel and grinned when he heard Gino's loud groan. He placed a hand to his chest, where his heart was still beating rapidly, and willed himself to calm down. Lelouch was okay, and he wouldn't be fired (which was, of course, the only reason he'd been so worried, because there was no way he actually cared about Lelouch or anything). All was well.

* * *

The sounds coming from the kitchen reminded Suzaku of the war movies he used to watch as a teenager. Pans were banging against each other and occasionally knocked on the floor, and every few moments Lelouch would let out a stream of profanities at Gino, who usually replied with a cheerful laugh or told Lelouch to relax. Suzaku himself was sitting in the living room on his laptop, looking through case files of minor crimes. Already he could tell that he'd be having a difficult time with this particular assignment, staying home while criminals were still running loose, so he'd decided to do what little he could. An especially loud crash came from the kitchen.

"Ugh, can't you do anything right!"

"Lelouuuuch, I'm trying the best I can," Gino whined.

Suzaku heard a Lelouch growl, followed by a dull clang, and decided to break things up.

When he entered, he couldn't stifle a laugh. Lelouch, clad in a bright pink apron, wore an expression of pure annoyance, and was holding a metal spatula in his right hand as if it were a weapon. Gino was pouting and holding his head. They both looked over at Suzaku as he chuckled softly.

"Don't laugh! He hit me!" Gino pointed accusingly at Lelouch.

"I wouldn't have hit you if you didn't act like a complete moron!" Lelouch shouted, still wielding the spatula menacingly. He also seemed to notice Suzaku looking at his apron, because he said, "I found it in the drawer, it's not mine!" Suzaku just laughed harder, he couldn't help it. Lelouch was like a puppy trying to be intimidating, but only succeeded in looking cute. Not that Lelouch was cute. At all.

"Hey, is something burning?" Gino asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Shit, the toast!" Lelouch ran to the toaster, which was emitting smoke, and unplugged it. He quickly put on an oven mitt and took out the two pieces of bread, which were burned black. "Fuck."

"Don't worry about it, it's just toast," Gino said, watching Lelouch panic with an amused grin plastered on his face. Suzaku smiled for a moment, and then was suddenly hit with a thought.

"Hey, Lelouch…" he began hesitantly. Lelouch looked over at him with an eyebrow raised curiously. "Uh, I just wanted to say sorry for, you know, punching you in the face." The other man's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to fully face Suzaku.

"Oh, that." He raised a hand and brushed the light purple bruise on his jaw, "I… I suppose I deserved it. Thank you for apologizing." Relief flooded Suzaku's mind, and he sighed.

"Since we'll be living together, do you think we could maybe start over?" he asked, hopeful. He knew that it would be much easier to coexist if they didn't hold petty grudges with one another.

Lelouch didn't reply for a few moments, and with each second that passed Suzaku was sure that he would reject the idea, but eventually he nodded. "Yeah, I think I could do that." He offered his hand, which Suzaku gladly shook, and this time when they looked at each other, there was no contempt or disapproval. However, the moment was ruined when Gino threw his arms over both of their shoulders, bringing them into an awkward and painful three way hug.

"How sweet! Now we can all be friends!" The two shorter men struggled under his tight hold, but eventually broke free.

"Yeah, maybe," Lelouch said, and then looked at Suzaku. "Now, even though the toast is burnt, there's still plenty of food. Here." He picked up a plate from the counter and handed it to Suzaku. On it were scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. It smelled absolutely delicious. Lelouch pushed him towards the table. "Go, sit down and eat."

As he shoved the first forkful of food into his mouth, he couldn't help but smile. Now that he and Lelouch had reconciled their differences, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Thank you so much. R&R!


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